Tomorrow
by Lazerwolf314
Summary: 'Yesterday' post-ep. The first meeting of the Dirty Mistresses club features tequila and plenty of less than stellar choices. AKA, Meredith doesn't sleep with George; instead, the slutty intern and the infamous McSteamy become much better acquainted than you think.
1. Awaken

_A/N : This is what I get for using re-watching Grey's Anatomy in the background while I study... The re-watch has also brought back the realization that Derek was kind of a dick the first few seasons. So here's yet another post ep for Yesterday (several years late) that branches directly off from the last scene of Meredith and Mark in the bar (aka, no horrible bad thing with George). It might go somewhere, it might not, but the re-watch has reminded me of how much I liked the MerMark potential and how those two seem to click. Enjoy :)_

* * *

Neither of them slept that much that night.

A few winks of rest for one were caught every so often before the other teased them back into wakefulness with a quiet giggle or snicker and skin on skin.

But between the catnaps and mind-blowing sex, they talk softly in the darkness of Meredith's room.

"You love him, like really love him, don't you?"

The eye roll goes unseen, but the response comes clear as day.

"I do. I tried not to… It didn't work."

"I know the feeling."

When Meredith rolls her head to the left, taking in Mark's silhouette that's illuminated from the moonlight seeping through her windows, she can tell that he's staring intently at her ceiling. There's something in his voice that strikes a chord in her heart, causing part of her to reach out to the man who may hold just as much darkness as she does.

"I'm sorry she didn't show up tonight," Meredith murmurs.

Her statement is met with hungry lips on hers and she willingly sinks into the distraction from the topic. Mark's response is answer enough.

Later, when the first hints of purple appear in the sky, it's Mark who speaks first.

"Maybe one day, life will come down on the side of the Dirty Mistresses. What do you think?"

Meredith snorts softly. "I think that the Dirty Mistresses is a really bad team name."

This pulls a laugh from Mark as he strokes a hand down her spine. "If that's our team name, do we get to have team meetings? I'll bring the condoms, you bring the tequila?"

When Meredith begins to shake with silent laughter, Mark pretends to be affronted. "What? It's a solid idea; good team building exercise."

This time, Meredith can't stop the peal of laughter that bursts free, so she rolls to her side and jabs a finger into Mark's ribs as retaliation. The following five minutes devolve into a full-out, sweaty wrestling match, resulting in both breathing hard and snickering like children and Meredith sprawled across Mark like a blanket.

They fall into a light doze that way as the sun breaks over the horizon.

When her alarm goes off at seven in the morning, it jolts both of them from the doze they'd fallen into, pulling a loud curse from McSteamy's lips and a groan from a very tired intern. Borrowing her head under her pillow, Meredith curls into a ball against Mark's side and tries to drown out the annoying beeping.

"Shut that thing up, for all that is holy," Mark grumbles, giving her a small shove in the direction of the alarm clock, snorting at her gasp of surprise and taking advantage of her movement to flip onto his stomach and stuff his head under the freed pillow. He misses the tongue stuck out in his direction, but can't avoid the other pillow that's flung at his back. He flinches, but stubbornly refuses to move, sighing in relief when Meredith rolls off the bed and turns off her alarm.

"Oh thank the sweet, sweet Gods of silence," Mark sighs in relief, peeking out from his pillow shelter to meet Meredith's annoyed glare. He winks once, visible eye gleaming with amusement, before retreating back to his darkened shelter.

"I have to go to work soon, so I'm going to shower. You… Find some clothes?" Meredith suggests, before turning and making her escape into her bathroom. When the door clicks closed, she releases a groan and scrubs at her bleary eyes. Not getting enough sleep was one thing; staying up most of the night with a very enthusiastic bedmate was certainly another and it today was going to be a hell of a day. She could feel it.

The muffled noises of movement from behind the door sparked the smallest bolt of regret, but it's quickly snuffed out. They were just two adults having some much needed fun… and who happened to be the co-heads of the Dirty Mistresses club.

Shaking her head at the thought, Meredith turns on the shower and jumps in before it has time to warm up, letting the cold shock her into full wakefulness. Biting her lip against the temperature, she sets to work and scrambles out mere minutes later.

Stumbling into the random assortment of clothes she had snatched up on the way to the bathroom, she runs quick fingers through her damp hair, takes a quick peek at her reflection and deems herself acceptable. Emerging, she stops short at the sight of Mark sprawled across her bed, arms behind his head and a cocky grin on full display and not a stitch of clothing in sight, save for the sheet rather strategically placed over his hips.

"You're insufferable."

Mark just wiggles his eyebrows at her.

"Get up; I'm going to be late if I don't leave soon and I'm not leaving you alone in my house," Meredith announces with a smirk, scooping up his discarded jeans from the floor and tossing them at his face. As he fumbles with the pants, she continues, "now, I'm going to go see where my roommates are and if they need a ride into work and when I come back, you'd better be ready to go. I'm willing to give my fellow Dirty Mistress a ride back to the hospital, where I'm guessing you left your car."

"You're no fun," Mark pouts.

As Meredith slips out of the bedroom, she fires back easily, "that's not what you said last night."

McSteamy's infectious laugh follows her into the hallway.

Where she promptly comes face to face with George and Izzy, both with dark circles under their eyes and a mixture of curiosity and irritation in their stares. Taken aback, Meredith merely blinks at them wordlessly, feeling oddly like a gaping fish.

"Really Mer? All night?" Izzy grumbles.

"Yeah Mer, a little warning would've been nice. I could've gotten more sleep in an on-call room," George chimes in, voice rough with exhaustion.

"Uh sorry guys, I didn't exactly plan on … this happening," Meredith stammers, feeling more guilt about keeping up her roommates than sleeping with McSteamy.

And of course, because she had somehow, at some point in her life, managed to royally piss off the Gods, that's when Mark chose to emerge from her bedroom. Life just didn't seem to ever fall on the side of the Dirty Mistresses.

Izzy's eyes grow huge and her mouth drops open in shock, staring unblinkingly past Meredith's shoulder and George emits a small squeak, confusion and shock going to war on his features. The two interns stand stock still, frozen in surprise as Mark stops just behind Meredith, who can't help but shut her eyes and whisper a small prayer.

"Grey, I can't find my jacket; any idea where it ended up?"

Mark is close enough to her back that she can feel the warmth emanating from him and hear the vague amusement colouring his tone. She resists the sudden and inexplicable urge to lean back into his solid form and instead turns her head to look at him.

"I think it might be on the stairs, but I'm not sure."

"Well, I'm going to go explore your house until I find it. You should make sure the gaping idiots there are still breathing," Mark announces, sliding past Meredith close enough that their shoulders brush and vanishing down the stairs, leaving the three interns in a strange, stare filled impasse.

"Uh," Meredith breaks the silence, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Do you guys want a ride into work?"

A long few seconds pass before the two move in stunned unison, each nodding slowly.

"Okay, we'll head out in the next five minutes."

And with that, Meredith makes her escape.

What follows is by far the most awkward car ride she'd ever experienced in her life.

* * *

The problem with taking the elevator with your adulterous wife the day after your former best friends shows up in Seattle and neither of you are willing to take the stairs is that, of course, there isn't another soul in the small cube to fill the awkward silence. Between the basement to the first floor, Derek backs himself into the furthest corner and stares at the lights that indicate which floor the machine is on and leaves Addison alone in the center of the elevator.

As the metal box slowly lifted, so did the tension.

The previous evening had been nothing short of horrible, and both knew it was because Mark's sudden and unannounced appearance in Seattle. Addison had tried to instigate a conversation, about anything really, but Derek hadn't been willing to listen. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts and unwilling to even sleep in the same bed as his wife; he had taken up a position on the couch and left the OBGYN surgeon to the bed. He knew she was hurting, had heard the quiet sniffles from the other end of the trailer, but he just… couldn't. The guilt was there, but it was currently buried under a pile of disgust and a whirlwind of other emotions that had reared their ugly head as soon as he had caught sight of Mark talking with Meredith.

And Meredith smiling back.

Simply replaying the scene in his mind from yesterday brought the rage bubbling back to the surface.

The ding of the elevator sliding to a stop at the first floor was enough to jolt him from his thoughts and he looked forwards just in time to watch the doors to slide open to admit more passengers.

As the drab metal retracts, the currently at-odds Sheppard's' both receive a shock neither expected.

Because there stood Mark and Meredith, chatting like old friends, twin smiles in full force as they looked at one another.

Conversation and smiles froze instantly as the ex-lovers take in exactly who was standing in the elevator.

Then Meredith snorts tiredly and steps in, muttering, "this totally doesn't count as falling on the side of our team."

Mark snickers and follows. "Too true, my fellow club member."

Completely ignoring the other two occupants of the elevator, whom are both actively staring, while Addison is forced to migrate further back into the contraption, they step in and stand shoulder to shoulder.

"Though, I don't think it could get any worse," Mark muses. "It's not like we're - "

Whatever the plastic surgeon had been about to say is interrupted by all the lights flickering wildly and the machine jerking to a sudden halt, violently throwing everyone off balance. Derek tips back and smacks his head off the wall, while Addison stumbles into her husband's side, sending both of them to the floor in a heap. Meredith and Mark fare only slightly better, with the intern grasping wildly for the railing and catching Mark's outstretched palm as he reaches out to catch her. The two say dangerously for a moment, Meredith clinging to the railing like a monkey and Mark moving closer to wrap an arm around her waist.

After a long moment of tense silence as they all brace for the elevator to throw anything else at them, Meredith tilts her head to glare at Mark.

" – Stuck in here," Mark finishes lamely, ducking his head in embarrassment as all eyes land on him.


	2. Realize

_A/N : Apparently, I'm on a roll with this one. No idea where it's going, but it's certainly not going to be MerDer. :)_

 _Note about this chapter: because of the events of the previous one, I can perfectly see Derek's reaction to finding out Meredith and Mark slept together and it goes a lot along the lines of when he found out that Meredith was dating Finn. So, I sort of spliced that scene into this chapter._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

As soon as her balance returns, Meredith practically whirls on Mark, jabbing angrily at his side.

"You idiot! You just had to go and jinx us!" She snarls partially playfully, but mostly annoyed, accentuating each word with a jab into his ribs. As she does, she advances on Mark and backs him into the opposite corner of the elevator. In response to each strike, Mark lets out a series of annoyed 'hey's' and swats away Meredith's hands as best as he can.

Eventually, Mark manages to snag her fists in his own larger hands, capturing them and holding them tight, smirking down at her irritated face.

"Grey, while your fists may be tiny, they are effective; if you keep this up, I'm going to have bruises on top of my bruises you gave me this morning!"

"Oh shut up, I'm still blaming you for this," Meredith mutters, sticking out her tongue at him as she tries to pull free from his grip.

"What? Why? I did nothing wrong!" Mark exclaims, smirk widening as he just tugs her closer.

"You absolutely did; you and I both know that fate is not on our side so you just went and stuck your tongue out at the Gods and look what happened," Meredith shoots back, bracing her feet and finally yanking herself free.

"Grey - " Mark starts but is interrupted by the fiery headed OBGYN surgeon.

"Wait, this morning?" Addison asks, struggling to hide the hurt the flies across her face at both the idea and when Derek shrugs off her off and stands up with the help of the elevator railings instead. For a moment, he leans into the wall and pokes gingerly at the back of his skull where it had made contacted with the wall moments earlier. Pulling his hand away, he checks it carefully for any sign of blood and fortunately it's clean. But his head is pounding something fierce and it takes a brief minute before the words that have passed around him register.

The two Sheppard's stare at their respective mistress', Addison's expression covered in confusion and a little bit of lingering fear from the sudden stop of the machine, while Derek's also mirrors the confusion but displays the beginning of betrayal as he stares at Meredith. She stares back resolutely, not letting an ounce of emotion show through. Mark does manage to look only the slightest bit apologetic, but not by much.

And any sliver of humility is gone once the next words leave his mouth. "The first official meeting of the Dirty Mistresses happened last night. And my fellow Dirty Mistress here wasn't about to leave me out in the cold since I didn't have a hotel room."

As Meredith watches Derek, she witnesses the confusion burn away into full-blown betrayal and the first bubbles of rage begin. At his side, Addison physically flinches as if struck, staring at Mark with wide eyes.

The instant after Derek starts moving, fists already clenches at his side, Meredith darts in between the former best friends and non-to-gently shoves Derek backwards.

"Don't you dare, Derek," Meredith snaps, holding a hand up to deter both men when she feels Mark start to move forward as well. This ends with McDreamy at the tips of her fingers on one hand and McSteamy on the other. If the elevator wasn't choking with sky-rocketing tension, she might have even laughed at the situation she had found herself in.

The Gods hated her for sure.

"Really Meredith? Mark? What's next, O'Malley? Or have you already spread your legs for Karev? I hear he likes to sleep around; you two have that in common. I wouldn't be surprised if-"

The vile disgust dripping from Derek's voice is abruptly cut off by the slap that shocks everyone.

"Derek," Addison starts, staring at her husband as if he's a stranger, but is stopped by a newly enraged Meredith.

"You don't get to call me a whore. When I met you, I thought I had met the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I was done, so all the boys, and all the bars, and all the obvious daddy issues, who cared? Because I was done," here she pauses and takes a heaving breath, fighting back tears. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees something in Addison that she'd never thought she would witness, something that looked a lot like sympathy, but she couldn't focus on that. Behind her, Mark shifts uncomfortably and is clearly perturbed by the sudden rage in both his former best friend and his fellow mistress, but Meredith's eyes are only for Derek.

Derek, who stares at her with shock and the lingering bits of disgust, cheek slowly turning bright red from where her hand had made contact. Who's blue eyes fill with devastation as she speaks and who she wants to run away from right now, but she's trapped.

The words simply flow on their own, a river breaking free from a dam and there's nothing she can do to stop it.

"You chose Addison; I'm all glued back together now. I make no apologies for how I chose to repair what you broke. You don't get to call me a whore."

The silence that fills the square area is broken only by Meredith's harsh breathing as she tries and fails to fight back tears. When the first one slides free, Derek flinches and Addison's hand goes to cover her mouth, eyes wide with shock and a little bit of dull horror. Mark, who can't see her face from his position behind her shoulder, shuffles his feet and stuffs his hands into his pockets.

"I think I've realized something," Addison murmurs, moving backwards until her shoulders collide with the corners of the car, Mark mirroring her movements until he's braced in the corner directly next to hers. When Addison's voice breaks through the haze of anger and pain that clouds her vision, Meredith also retreats to her own corner, closing her eyes and sinking into a ball on the ground. Derek alone is left standing in the middle of the elevator, still staring at Meredith, horrified, as if he still can't believe what either of them had said.

"What is it Addy?" Mark asks softly, glancing between the two opposing corners where women he had come to care about, in one case very recently, resided. Worry furrows his brow when he takes in Meredith's slumped form and the tears that slowly track trails down her face.

"That that was the reaction that Derek should've had when he found us in bed together. Instead, we got silence," here Addison pauses to regroup, pity stirring within her at the woman on the floor who had been just as, if not more, damaged by the black haired man they both loved. "But one inkling of Meredith sleeping with someone who might mean something, granted in this case it was you Mark, and Derek, you explode. I've never seen you that angry about something in all the years I've known you."

There's a pause where it's Derek's turn to shuffle uncomfortably, backing into the remaining corner as he tries to avoid the contemplative gazes of Addison and Mark.

"Anyway, what I've realized is that, we're through Derek. There's no saving us. Not when you clearly love her like you never did me," Addison lets out a heavy breath and sniffles when her eyes begin to water.

"And lastly, when we get out of here, I need a stiff drink and the day off."

This manages to pull a weak snort from Meredith, who blinks and meets Addison's gaze. "I'll second that," she whispers hoarsely, a small smile forming even as she swipes away her tears. Addison offers a returning smile to the intern she once hated on principle, but had started to grow a fond affection for. That very affection had just doubled after witnessing the young woman show her fire in the face of the bile that dripped from her husband's mouth.

Mark chuckles softly, offering a hand to pull Meredith to her feet. "There's my fellow Dirty Mistress; welcome back," he says, gently grasping her hand when she reaches up and pulls her upright with ease. She sways a little with vertigo for a second and then gives Mark's hand a tight squeeze of thanks before releasing it.

"And, with my position as president of the Dirty Mistresses club, I will take full responsibility for probably the most awkward elevator ride of my life."

Meredith giggles at this and Addison can't stop the grin that flicks across her fine features.

"It'll go hand in hand with the awkward car ride from earlier. And what makes you president, hmm?" she asks, quirking a brow and offering up a mock glare that's only slightly ruined by the puffy and red eyes. The sight of it triggers something within Mark, something protective and angry that wants to punch Derek for putting the look on the younger woman's face, but he quickly shakes it off.

"Well, I was the original Dirty Mistress, that means I get to be president. Obviously."

Meredith considers this, focus now completely off of McDreamy, who has been left alone in the corner with his thoughts and weariness etching its way into every line of his features, and furrows her brow. "Fine then, if you're president, I get to be the empress," she retorts.

Mark laughs heartily at this and shakes his head with a grin.

"Oh Grey, you can certainly be the empress."

By now, three fourths of the elevator car are grinning from their respective corners, but they're quickly wiped away with surprise as a loud screech from the doors fills their ears.


	3. Reverberations

_A/N : I have absolutely no bloody idea where this going. Thanks to my great Grey's Anatomy re-watch 2k16, I'm currently on season three and about a thousand plot bunnies have spawned and taken over my notebook thanks to the trio of drowning episodes... And yet more bunnies keep spawning for this one. Regardless, I'm just following the thought train here at this point, so if you've hopped along for the ride, welcome and thanks for sticking with it at least this far._

 _Specific note for this chapter: I know nothing about mechanics or electronics or anything like that, so whatever's wrong with the elevator is my best possible guess for something that might be remotely possible :p_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

All heads turn towards the source of the noise in synch, just in time to watch the silver metal part enough to reveal a friendly but mildly stressed face of a fireman. He peers in from a gap barely a foot wide between the top of the elevator door and the floor of the upper of the two levels they are trapped in between.

"Hi there folks, how's everyone doing in here?" he asks kindly, age showing in his rough voice along with the smattering of grey through the dark brown about his temples.

Still a little taken by surprise thanks to the sudden appearance of what is possibly their salvation, the quartet all blink a few times like stunned fish, before Mark turns to face the man.

"A little claustrophobic but everyone's okay," the plastic surgeon answers with a tight smile, not reacting when he feels Meredith pull away abruptly and retreat to her corner of the car, tilting her face away from the fireman. He knows it's so the man doesn't see her lingering tears. At his sides, his hands clench into fists reflexively.

The fireman chuckles at that, face disappearing from view as he looks over his shoulder when someone behind him speaks in a voice too low for the occupants of the elevator. There's a brief conversation that passes just outside the hearing range of the surgeons, where Mark shuffles from foot to foot, anxious to get out of the cramped space, Addison busies herself hunting through her bag for any spare Kleenex, which she in turn passes across the elevator car to Meredith. Meredith, who has been angrily trying to swipe away any evidence of her tears, blinks in surprise at the offering from the red-haired woman.

Hesitantly, she reaches across the remaining distances and grasps the Kleenex, taking it gently into her own grip, all while offering Addison a tentative smile. In return, Addison smiles back easily, retracting her hand and giving the younger woman a kind nod.

Derek remains motionless, trapped in his own thoughts and valiantly fighting not to let any pain show on his features as his head throbs angrily. Another poke at the back of his head reveals that, while not bleeding, a sizeable knot has formed at the rear of his skull and from it radiates waves of pain. That, combined with the knowledge that Meredith and Mark had spent the night together, was mixing within him to form a monster of rage and disgust that he isn't quite sure he knows how to deal with. So he stays leaned in the back corner, staring into the distance and biting his tongue.

"Alright folks, my name is Paul and I'll be your cruise director this fine morning," the fireman turns back to look down into the car with a cheerful grin. "Unfortunately, we seem to have blown a couple of fuses down in the mechanical room so your flight has been a bit delayed. No worries though, my fine co-pilots are working hard at fixing them right now. Now, in the meantime, is there anything I can get for you during this hindrance?"

Through a small giggle at Paul's antics, clearly being used to help put them all at ease, Meredith clenches the tissue in her fist and looks up. "Some tequila would be nice oh kind sir," she tells him, tone loaded with over-exuberance.

Mark, Addison and Paul all burst into laughter at this and Meredith grins, but hates that she notices how Derek has yet to make a sound since spitting all of those vile words at her. The mere thought of the rage that had washed over her was enough to send another wave of pain through her spine and a bolt through her heart. Giving her head a shake, she fights away the re-mergence of tears before they can start leaking again and focuses back on the conversation around her.

Derek's words were something to be examined at a later date. With a lot of tequila. And Christina to vent to.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that we're currently out of stock on the tequila front, but I think I could scrounge up some coffee from the cart in the lobby if you'd like," Paul answers through his chuckles. "Though, hopefully you wont be in here for any longer than twenty minutes while they replace the damaged fuses."

Meredith looks around the car, taking in Addison and Mark's expressions as they watch her, glancing only briefly at Derek to see that he's still staring at the floor, before looking back up at Paul. She chews thoughtfully on her lip for a second, knowing it would be a hassle for someone to bring them coffee, but knowing that the distraction of it would be good for all of them.

"If you wouldn't mind Paul, I'd love some coffee," Meredith asks softly.

"Sure thing miss! One coffee coming right up! Anyone else?" the fireman asks, peering at all the other occupants in turn.

Mark nods, smiling and flashing dimples at Paul, Addison offers up a quiet 'yes please,' before Paul's gaze falls on Derek. There's a long pause as the dark haired man remains oblivious to the world until Addison leans over and gives him a gentle tap on the shoulder. He jumps back into reality with a start, blinking owlishly in time to realize everyone's gaze is on him, even Meredith's, who quickly looks away when they make eye contact.

A bolt of pain shoots through his soul at this.

"Um, what?" he mumbles eloquently.

The fireman snickers at this. "And I'm going to go on a limb and proclaim you need a coffee, regardless of what you say. Four coffees coming right up," Paul announces and then disappears from the square foot opening at the top of the elevator doors.

"Jeez Derek, where'd you check out to?" Mark asks, previous tension temporarily forgotten as he looks at his best friend with mild concern underneath the teasing.

"Uh, just thinking," Derek mumbles, rubbing absently at the back of his head once again. Addison narrows her eyes at the gesture.

"How hard did you hit your head Derek?" she asks, advancing slightly on her husband.

"What? I'm fine."

"Bullshit, you keep rubbing your head, you've started to squint at everything and you just missed an entire conversation with Paul," by now, Addison has trapped Derek in the corner, hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised in question.

"Addison, I'm fine, drop it," Derek pleads; feeling the throbbing and tension intensify under the concern aimed his way. The monster in his chest starts the claw outwards, growing with each passing minutes, freezing only when the gleaming green eyes, still rimmed red with tears, tears he had caused, look his way. But he can't look at her, can't stand to see the sadness that he's put here, even as the sorrow wages war against betrayal. The war simply throws flames on the monster, urging it onwards as it stretches across his chest.

"No you're not, you… Are you shaking?" The annoyed tone vanishes abruptly as his wife's gaze sharpens and takes in the minute trembles wracking up and down his arms and out through his fingers. This, of course, sets off the pain in his hand from where it had made contact with Mark's face, and he subconsciously draws his hand to his chest protectively.

"Addy, I'm fine, leave it be," Derek grinds out, frustration growing as the shaking increases despite his efforts to stop it.

"Derek, you're shaking and you're pale!"

"Yeah, man, you don't look so hot," Mark chimes in, stepping further into the car.

Meredith says nothing and remains in her corner, not wanting to crowd around, but keeps a careful eye on the neurosurgeon. Something inside her tingles as she watches the interaction between the three older doctors, some instinct that's telling her to look closer, the instinct that helped her get through medical school.

"I'm - " Derek starts.

And then his vision goes fuzzy and grey. His knees give and the pounding in his head becomes paramount, erasing all other sensations. He doesn't notice his breathing quicken, nor how Mark and Addison both jump forward to catch him as he falls; they immediately leap into doctor mode, letting him down gently and crouching next to him while Mark goes to check Derek's pulse and Addison's hand found its way home to her husband's forehead.

"Addy, his pulse is racing," Mark mutters, face twitching with concern as he looks over at the woman he loved. At the same time, he reaches around Derek's head and his fingers brush against the bump that's formed there, wincing in with sympathetic pain. Derek's breath whistles between his teeth as he gasps, chest heaving, and eyes entirely unseeing.

"He's clammy," Addison responds, glancing at Mark and seeing the worry she's feeling stare back at her. For a moment, they stare, before it clicks.

"My god, he's having a panic attack," Addison breathes, taking in the sight of her pale and shaking husband and feeling her heart clench.

A hand on her right shoulder and one on Mark's left startle them both.

Jolting they turn to see Meredith hovering over their respective shoulders, a weariness neither had seen before etched into her features.

"Let me," Meredith murmurs, stepping between Mark and Addison to crouch before the unseeing man. Reaching out, she grabs his hands gently in her own, before settling into a cross legged seated position and opening her mouth.


	4. Sing(e)

_A/N : So, guess I should mention updates on this won't be regular (especially since I've reached exam season) but I'm liking where this is going so it'll probably continue._

 _Here's a slightly longer chapter; I wanted it to be longer but my brain just couldn't see anything else for this..._

 _Lyrics are from Timshel by Mumford and Sons, one of my favourite songs._

 _Thanks for sticking with me for this long!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Out of all the things Mark and Addison could've predicted Meredith would do to bring Derek out of the grasp of the panic attack, this wasn't even a blip on the radar.

Meredith's voice floats quietly into the small space, lips moving in a dance none of the other occupants even knew she was capable of creating. Clear as a bell and weaving gently through the air, she sings softly, eyes closing as she holds the hands of the man she can't help but love in an easy grasp. The words are quiet, but fill the small space, entrancing Addison and Mark, who stare shamelessly.

With her eyes closed, she doesn't notice when Derek's gaze begins to slowly refocus and his breathing steadies, nor the looks Mark and Addison are aiming her way.

 _Cold is the water_

 _It freezes your already cold mind_

 _Already cold, cold mind_

 _And death is at your doorstep_

 _And it will steal your innocence_

 _But it will not steal your substance_

Pausing to take a quick breath, Meredith catches the sound of footsteps approaching them and a quick shuffle of clothing as Paul returns. Along with it, the scent of coffee drifts into the small space and Meredith's nose twitches and her mouth waters. But she can still feel the small trembles running through Derek's crouched form and, all personal thoughts on the man aside (the man who fixed her and then broke her and still holds her heart and the man she wishes she could hate to make all this easier), she will bring him out of the panic attack. So she settles and drags forth more of the lyrics from her brain.

 _But you are not alone in this_

 _And you are not alone in this_

 _As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand_

 _Hold your hand_

The irony of the lyrics isn't lost on her.

As her voice drifts into silence, she blinks open her eyes to see Derek staring at her with an expression she can't name and her hands clutched tightly in his. Part of her relishes the feel of his hands in hers and the mere proximity of him, but the rest of her wants nothing more than to back away as fast as possible. So she takes a second to study McDreamy, taking in the flushed features but clear eyes and the lack of trembles and decides she's succeeded in her task of pulling him free from the clutches of his own mind.

Gently extracting her digits from his, Meredith withdraws and leans back, scooting her legs beneath her in order to stand. Ducking her head at the quartet of gazes aimed her way, she retreats to her corner and shuffles her feet awkwardly.

"Well Doc, I'll be damned," Paul whistles from his little window into the elevator. "And I hope you don't mind me guessing that you're a doctor; you have that look about you," the fireman says kindly.

Grateful for the distraction, Meredith looks upward at the fireman. "Thanks Paul," she murmurs with a smile. "And you're right. I am a doctor. A first year surgical intern actually," Meredith announces, a small bit of pride infusing its way into her tone. As she speaks, Paul reaches down into the elevator car and passes her a warm paper cup of steaming coffee.

Taking the small cup, she clutches it carefully with both hands, allowing the warmth to bleed into her as she holds it close to her chest.

"Surgery, that's pretty hardcore," Paul says cheerfully, causing Meredith to chuckle and nod, reaching behind him to grab the next coffee, which he gently hands to Addison, before repeating the process once more to hand a third paper cup to Mark. The two older surgeons quickly accept the proffered liquid, finally breaking their gaze away from the young woman opposite of them.

Taking the arrival of coffee to heart, Addison uses the distraction to start sipping at the caffeine, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the wall of the elevator. The exhaustion that floods her system is a shock and she can't help but feel as though she could sleep for a week after this. Things around her felt as though they were moving too fast and the explosion of new information she'd gleaned about Meredith, Mark and Derek in such a short time was making her head spin and question her very opinions on her three fellow surgeons. Especially those of her husband and his former mistress.

Taking the cup with a quick 'thank you,' Mark approaches his best friend where he remains crouched and disheveled, and extends a hand, a silent peace offering.

Derek looks up at the man he'd been best friends with for over twenty years, who he had grown up with, who he had caught sleeping with his wife, and sees flickers of something so genuine, he could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen that expression on Mark's face. And there was sadness there, a sadness that Derek had only ever seen once, and that had been at his father's funeral. Because Derek's father had been more of a father to Mark in the three years before the fatal shooting than Mark's own father had been his entire life.

Still a little off balance from the panic attack, the panic attack whose origins he still wasn't entirely certain of, it takes Derek a bit longer than normal to process all this. Because of the delay, Mark takes the lack of reaction as a rejection and resignation flickers across his face before it closes off and becomes expressionless.

Derek catches this just in time and reaches out to grasp his friend's hand as it starts to drop.

The world famous plastic surgeon's eyes widen as they dart up to meet the neurosurgeon's and the two take a second to communicate silently. Then Mark breaks into a face splitting grin and gently pulls Derek to his feet. Derek smiles back and gratefully accepts the coffee Mark presses into his hands.

Part of the tension that has been scraping around the trapped four's spines ever since the elevator doors had closed vanishes and something settles in the two men's hearts.

"Though," Paul continues, taking in the proceedings below him with a knowing smile, "if you don't mind me saying, of course, I'm pretty sure if this whole surgery thing doesn't work out, I bet you would make a wonderful singer." As he speaks, he hands in the last cup of coffee to Mark and then settles his head on his hands.

At this, Meredith snorts mid-sip, sending a small wave of coffee splashing onto her hand. Cursing softly, she passes the paper cup to her other hand and sets about shaking off the hot liquid. As Paul apologizes profusely, he attempts to hand in a stack of napkins, but Meredith is more focused on keeping cool air flowing over her scalded skin.

Mark is the first to jump into action, as Derek has yet to return to full function and Addison has just opened her eyes at the sound of Meredith's curses. Setting down his own cup of piping hot coffee, Mark grabs the napkins from Paul and snags Meredith's hand out of the air. Keeping his grip gently and away from the back of her hand where the coffee had struck, Mark uses the napkins to gently dab away the remaining liquid. As he does so, he gives her tiny hand a professional once over, happy to see that the skin is only mildly irritated from the quick contact with heat and not burned like it could have been.

"Are you okay Meredith?" Addison asks from her corner, the genuine worry in her voice surprising even herself. The red-head peers around Mark's tall form to take a peek at Meredith's hand herself and missing the quick flicker of surprise that races across Meredith's features.

"Yeah, I'm fine Addison. A little singed, no biggie. I guess I wasn't expecting anyone to compliment the singing, so it made me laugh," Meredith answers bluntly, smiling reassuringly in Addison's direction. "And thank you Mark," she adds, tilting her head to meet the plastic surgeon's still worried gaze and offering up a grin. "Seriously, I'm fine," she repeats, letting her hand linger in his grip for a second more before retracting it.

Holding it up, she wiggles her fingers and gives her hand, albeit splotched with angry red, a little shake to show off her fully functioning digits. "See, little and effective fist still in working order; want me to demonstrate?" she offers with a quirk of her eyebrows and clenching her hand into a fist.

With a chuckle, Mark steps back and raises his hands in defense and Derek can't help the snort that rises in his chest at the sight.

"I'm glad you're okay Doc," Paul chimes in, "and I'm sorry I startled you."

"Ah no worries Paul, seriously. It happens," Meredith responds kindly.

"But I was serious about the singing; you're a natural hun."

"You know, that's the first time anyone's ever told me I could sing," Meredith says contemplatively.

"Really?" Addison blurts out loudly, startled, before she can stop herself. In the small space, the sharp sound echoes, causing Mark, Meredith and Derek to wince. When all eyes turn to her, a red flush dances across her cheeks. "Sorry…"

"Um, yeah," Meredith starts, curiosity and surprise warring on her features as she stares at Addison. It's quickly chased away by embarrassment as once again, she finds herself at the center of attention in the small space. "My mother wasn't one for frivolous activities like singing and by time I started, my dad was already out of the picture. And I don't sing for anything, ever really."

"Then why…?" Paul starts, still not entirely sure what he had returned to with the coffee. All he knew was that the young surgeon and the dark haired one had been on the floor of the elevator and the beautiful voice had distracted the fireman before he could observe anything else.

Meredith's gaze cuts to Derek as she answers, "desperate times Paul." Stuffing her hands into her pockets as a clear sign of withdrawal, she ignores the flash of pain that comes when her irritated skin scrapes across the fabric of her jacket. "I don't really want to talk about it if that's okay."

"Sure thing Doc," Paul agrees, feeling the discomfort radiating from the young woman even from his position outside the metal box. At his side, his phone chirps and he glances at the display, a grin blossoming.

"Good news passengers!" he chirps happily, drifting back into his flight director mode. "Looks like they're just about finished downstairs so we should get be getting this show back on the road any minute now. Just want to prepare you incase the doors close suddenly, the lights flicker or the car jolts," Paul informs them, internally grinning when he sees the amusement appear on every face in the small space, even the space-y dark haired man.

"Thanks P - " Mark starts, only to be cut off by a ding and the sight of the silver doors sliding closed, along with the feeling of the floor beneath their feet starting to rise.


End file.
